Boarding or residential schools occupy a special niche in theK-12 educational world. Here are some facts to help you understand how these schools work and who they serve.
1. There are over 300 boarding schools in the U.S.
Most boarding schools prepare their students for college-level work. Hence the name, "college prep" or "prep" which you will see in many school names. Most boarding schools are coeducational. But there are about a hundred schools that are single-sex schools. They accept and teach only boys or girls.
There are several types of boarding schools. Alternative and therapeutic schools serve specific needs such as emotional and disciplinary issues. Still, other schools offer programs for students with special needs such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, and other learning differences. They have the skilled, highly credentialed staff to ensure the best possible outcome for your child. They focus on college preparation as well. Military schools combine academics and the military training many young people and their parents demand. As you will see when you review the boarding school profiles on this site, there literally is a school for every need and requirement.
2. Some schools are purely residential.
Other schools are a mix of boarding and day students. A true boarding school has most of its students resident on campus. But if a school happens to be located in a town or other major population area, it could have a significant percentage of day students. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but